lava

From Italian, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”); compare lābīna (“landslide”). A supposed relation with lavare (“to wash”) is now widely discredited, nor is there probably any relation with Arabic لابة (lāba, “black volcanic rock”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) Alternatively, the Romance words are connected with Provençal lavo, lauvo (“flat stone”), from a Vulgar Latin source borrowed from a Celtic language such as Gaulish *lawā,^[1] but ultimately of obscure origin; see Proto-Celtic *līwos for details.

• (US, UK) enPR: läʹvə, IPA^(key): /ˈlɑːvə/

• Audio (US):

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• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑːvə/, /ˈlævə/
• Homophones: larva (non-rhotic), lather (Cockney)
• Rhymes: -ɑːvə

lava (countable and uncountable, plural lavas)

1. The molten rock ejected by a volcano from its crater or fissured sides; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.
   • 1991, Martha Holmes, Sea Trek, BBC Books, page 44:

     Marine iguanas line the shores of the islands, and are usually seen sprawled over lava rocks near the sea.

2. (informal, proscribed) Magma.
3. A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.

   lava:  

• Geologists make a distinction between magma (molten rock underground) and lava (molten rock on the surface).

• cryolava, pillow lava

• aa
• lavalava
• pahoehoe

• Alva, Vaal, aval

lava

1. first-person singular aorist of laj

• Audio:

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• Audio:

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lava (definite accusative lavanı, plural lavalar)

1. lava

• “lava” in Obastan.com.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈla.βə]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ˈla.və]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈla.va]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

lava f (plural laves)

1. lava

• “lava”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

From Italian lava.

lava

1. lava

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002), Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Inherited from Old Czech lava, from Proto-Slavic *lava.

• IPA^(key): [ˈlava]
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava f

1. (dialectal) alternative form of lavice (“bench”)

• “lava”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “lava”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Borrowed from Italian lava, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaː.vaː/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: la‧va
• Rhymes: -aːvaː

lava c (uncountable, no diminutive)

1. lava

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “lava”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute
• “lava” in Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal – Officiële Spelling, Nederlandse Taalunie. [the official spelling word list for the Dutch language]

From Proto-Finnic *lava, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *lā́ˀwāˀ.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑvɑ/

• Audio:

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• Rhymes: -ɑvɑ
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava (genitive lava, partitive lava)

1. stage

Declension of lava (ÕS type 17u/sõna, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		lava	lavad
accusative	nom.
	gen.	lava
genitive			lavade
partitive		lava	lavu lavasid
illative		lavva lavasse	lavadesse lavusse
inessive		lavas	lavades lavus
elative		lavast	lavadest lavust
allative		lavale	lavadele lavule
adessive		laval	lavadel lavul
ablative		lavalt	lavadelt lavult
translative		lavaks	lavadeks lavuks
terminative		lavani	lavadeni
essive		lavana	lavadena
abessive		lavata	lavadeta
comitative		lavaga	lavadega

• lava in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “lava”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

From Proto-Finnic *lava (compare Estonian lava, Livonian lovā, Veps lava), borrowed from Proto-Baltic *lā́ˀwāˀ (compare Latvian lāva, Lithuanian lova).

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑʋɑ/, [ˈlɑ̝ʋɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑʋɑ
• Syllabification^(key): la‧va
• Hyphenation^(key): la‧va

lava

1. platform; podium (a flat, raised surface)

   Synonyms: koroke, (rare) estradi

2. bed (platform of a truck or other vehicle that supports the load)
3. stage (in a theatre, a concert hall or such)

   Synonyms: estradi, näyttämö

4. ellipsis of tanssilava
5. plant bed, raised bed (raised, framed platform for planting)

   Synonym: kasvilava

6. pallet (transport pallet, also as a unit)

   Synonym: kuormalava

7. (colloquial) case (pack of usually 24 cans of beer or other drink)

• “lava”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023

• vala

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

lava

1. third-person singular past historic of laver

• aval

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaba/ [ˈla.β̞ɐ]
• Rhymes: -aba
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava f (plural lavas)

1. lava

• “lava”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026

lava

1. inflection of lavar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Internationalism, borrowed from Dutch lava, from Italian lava, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈla.va/
• Rhymes: -va, -a
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava (plural lava-lava)

1. (geology) lava: the molten rock ejected by a volcano (hence on the surface) from its crater or fissured sides

• “lava”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

From Proto-Finnic *lava. Cognates include Finnish lava and Estonian lava.

• (Ala-Laukaa) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑʋɑ/, [ˈɫɑʋɑˑ]
• (Soikkola) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑʋɑ/, [ˈɫɑʋɑˑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑʋɑ
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava

1. banya bench
2. raised bed
3. foundation of a stove
4. A layer of dried branches or cones which are put under a haystack to prevent it from decaying. (Is there an English equivalent to this definition?)

Declension of lava (type 3/kana, no gradation, gemination)
	singular	plural
nominative	lava	lavat
genitive	lavan	lavvoin
partitive	lavvaa	lavoja
illative	lavvaa	lavvoi
inessive	lavas	lavois
elative	lavast	lavoist
allative	lavalle	lavoille
adessive	laval	lavoil
ablative	lavalt	lavoilt
translative	lavaks	lavoiks
essive	lavanna, lavvaan	lavoinna, lavvoin
exessive1)	lavant	lavoint
1) obsolete *) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka? or -kä? to the genitive.

• Ruben E. Nirvi (1971), Inkeroismurteiden Sanakirja, Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura, page 254

• IPA^(key): /ˈla.va/
• Rhymes: -ava
• Hyphenation: là‧va

From Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”), from lābī (“to fall; to slip”); compare lābīna (“landslide”).

lava f (plural lave)

1. lava

• lavico

• "lava" in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• "lava" (page 168) in Vocabolario etimologico della lingua italiana by Enrico Levi (1914).

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lava

1. inflection of lavare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

From Italian, Neapolitan, and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”), from lābī (“to fall; to slip”); compare lābīna (“landslide”).

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɫa.wa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈlaː.va]

lava f (genitive lavae); first declension

1. (New Latin) lava

   Synonym: rhyax

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɫa.waː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈlaː.va]

lavā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of lavō

From Italian lava, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”).

lava m (definite singular lavaen, indefinite plural lavaer, definite plural lavaene)

1. (geology) lava

• lavastrøm

• lavene

lava m or n

1. definite neuter plural of lav

• “lava” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Italian lava, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”).

lava m (definite singular lavaen, indefinite plural lavaer, definite plural lavaene)

1. (geology) lava

lava n

1. definite plural of lav

• “lava” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *lava.

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈɫaʋa/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈlava/

lava f (diminutive lavicě)

1. bench

• Czech: lava

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916), “lava”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

• Audio (Brazil (Caipira)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -avɐ, (Northern Portugal) -abɐ
• Hyphenation: la‧va

From Italian lava, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”), from lābī (“to fall; to slip”); compare lābīna (“landslide”).

lava f (plural lavas)

1. lava (melted rock)

• magma

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lava

1. inflection of lavar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “lava”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

• IPA^(key): [ˈlava]

lava f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of lavă

láva f (Cyrillic spelling ла́ва)

1. (geology) lava

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaba/ [ˈla.β̞a]
• Rhymes: -aba
• Syllabification: la‧va

Borrowed from Italian lava, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”), from lābī (“to fall; to slip”); compare lābīna (“landslide”).

lava f (uncountable)

1. lava

Deverbal from lavar.

lava f (uncountable)

1. washing

lava

1. inflection of lavar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

• “lava”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Borrowed from English larva.

lava class IX (plural lava class X)

1. larva

   Synonym: bombwe

Borrowed from English lava.

lava class IX (plural lava class X)

1. lava

   Synonym: zaha

lava c

1. lava

• lavalampa

• Alva

From Proto-Polynesian *lawa. Cognates include Hawaiian lawa and Samoan lava.

• IPA^(key): [ˈla.va]
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava

1. (stative) to be enough

lava

1. Expresses exclusiveness of the preceding word; just, only
2. Intensifies the preceding word; just (the same), right (now)
3. Forms a reflexive from the preceding personal pronoun; -self

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[3], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 181

lava

1. to want

From Proto-Finnic *lava.

lava

1. floor
2. platform

Inflection of lava (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	lava
genitive sing.	lavan
partitive sing.	lavad
partitive plur.	lavoid
	singular	plural
nominative	lava	lavad
accusative	lavan	lavad
genitive	lavan	lavoiden
partitive	lavad	lavoid
essive-instructive	lavan	lavoin
translative	lavaks	lavoikš
inessive	lavas	lavoiš
elative	lavaspäi	lavoišpäi
illative	lavaha	lavoihe
adessive	laval	lavoil
ablative	lavalpäi	lavoilpäi
allative	lavale	lavoile
abessive	lavata	lavoita
comitative	lavanke	lavoidenke
prolative	lavadme	lavoidme
approximative I	lavanno	lavoidenno
approximative II	lavannoks	lavoidennoks
egressive	lavannopäi	lavoidennopäi
terminative I	lavahasai	lavoihesai
terminative II	lavalesai	lavoilesai
terminative III	lavassai	—
additive I	lavahapäi	lavoihepäi
additive II	lavalepäi	lavoilepäi

• Zajceva, N. G.; Mullonen, M. I. (2007), “площадка, пол, помост”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary]‎^[4], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

From Proto-Finnic *lava.

• (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑvɑ/, [ˈɫɑvɑ]
• Rhymes: -ɑvɑ
• Hyphenation: la‧va

lava

1. sauna bench
2. plant bed

Declension of lava (type III/jalkõ, no gradation)
	singular	plural
nominative	lava	lavad
genitive	lava	lavojõ, lavoi
partitive	lavva	lavoitõ, lavoi
illative	lavvasõ, lavva	lavoisõ
inessive	lavaz	lavoiz
elative	lavassõ	lavoissõ
allative	lavalõ	lavoilõ
adessive	lavallõ	lavoillõ
ablative	lavaltõ	lavoiltõ
translative	lavassi	lavoissi
*) the accusative corresponds with either the genitive (sg) or nominative (pl) **) the terminative is formed by adding the suffix -ssaa to the short illative (sg) or the genitive. ***) the comitative is formed by adding the suffix -ka to the genitive.

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), “lava”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn